Loyola’s medical school applicants will receive a pre-health committee interview during final exam week in April/May. The pre-health committee reads your dossier and offers you a thirty-minute interview.
The interview and evaluation of your entire dossier helps you assess your readiness to apply to medical schools and provides you with the critically important committee letter, which offers a comprehensive assessment of your profile and helps your application stand out in the complex and competitive medical school admission process.
Pre-Health Committee Members 2023–2024
Brian Barr, Ph.D., Chemistry, Co-Chair
Maiju Lehmijoki Wetzel, Ph.D., B.S.N., R.N., Director of Pre-Health Programs / Co-Chair
Andrew Futterman, Ph.D., Psychology
Randall Jones, Ph.D., Physics
Derek Kendig, Ph.D., Biology
Jill Snodgrass, Ph.D., Theology
Ethan Duckworth, Ph.D., Mathematics & Statistics
Pre-Health Committee Time Line 2023–2024
Mandatory Committee Process Deadlines
For all meeting locations, please contact Dr. Maiju Lehmijoki Wetzel
Sunday, December 3 (5-6pm)
Mandatory Information Session and Application Opening
Declare Your Intent
Tuesday, February 6
Committee Interview Application and Recommendation Information Due by 5pm
Tuesday, February 13
Committee Mentor Names Released to the Students over Email
Tuesday, March 26
Committee Interview Materials and Recommendation Writers’ Submissions Due by 5pm
Recommendation writers’ letter submission over email: prehealthreferences@loyola.edu
Final Exams Week
Committee Interviews
Workshops
Monday, September 25 (5-6 pm)
Junior and senior info night (all health professions)
Tuesday, February 6 (6-7:30pm)
Application Workshop I - Personal statement, school selection, and communicating with recommenders
Wednesday, February 14 (6-7:30pm)
Application Workshop II - Personal statement, CV/resume, committee interview tips
Sunday, April 28 (5-6:30pm)
Application Workshop III (AMCAS/AACOMAS/AADSAS process)
Applicant Evaluation Criteria
The pre-health committee assesses your application strength based on the following criteria:
- Overall academic preparedness
- Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Grade trends
- Course selections
- Honors and awards
- Participation in special academic programs (if applicable)
- Reference writers’ evaluations
- Natural sciences and mathematics preparedness
- Biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics GPA, grade trends
- Grade trends
- Course selections
- Reference writers’ evaluation
- Depth of your experiences as seen in the curriculum vitae
and personal statement
- Community volunteering and extracurricular activities
- Health care experiences, including shadowing, volunteering, internships, and research
- Leadership, including tutoring and mentoring
- Varsity athletics
- Work
- Relevant certifications and training, including the EMT, the CNA, and tutor certifications
- Mature understanding of the profession and yourself as seen in the personal statement and interview
- Demonstration of social responsibility and personal integrity
- Capacity to engage in conversations concerning medicine, bioethics, and health care as seen in the interview
- Capacity to constructively overcome challenges and hardships
The committee does NOT use your MCAT score as one of the evaluation criteria.
You will receive feedback and suggestions within a few days of your interview. If the committee advises you to wait on your application, you are encouraged to return for a new interview during the upcoming years.
Pre-Health Committee Contact Information
Applicants: The deadline for committee interview applications is February 6. For any questions or to declare your intent or request your pre-health committee application packet:
Maiju Lehmijoki Wetzel, Ph.D., B.S.N., R.N.
Director, Pre-Health Programs
mlwetzel@loyola.edu
410-617-2218
Letter of recommendation writers: Please submit your recommendation letters on institutional letter head with your signature to prehealthreferences@loyola.edu. We will confirm the receipt of your letter.